Featured stories, The skinny, UNC

UNC’s Merletti wins ACC defensive back of the week honors

Leave a comment

UNC’s Matt Merletti, a senior from Cleveland, has earned Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Back of the Week for his play against Virginia. Merletti made seven tackles and intercepted two passes in Carolina’s 28-17 win over the Cavaliers. Merletti’s two interceptions came on Virginia’s final two possessions to help the Tar Heels secure the victory.

Clemson sophomore quarterback Tajh Boyd and freshman wide receiver Sammy Watkins were two others of the seven players announced as the ACC Players of the Week. Boyd, the ACC quarterback of the week, tallied 416 yards of total offense, the fourth most in Clemson history in the Tigers’ 38-24 win over defending national champion Auburn. His teammate Watkins picked up honors for both the receiver and the rookie of the week for his performance in the game. Watkins caught 10 passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns.

Other winners are listed below.

OFFENSIVE LINEMAN – Omoregie Uzzi, Georgia Tech, OG, Jr., 6-3, 300, Lithonia, Ga.

Uzzi and the Yellow Jacket offensive line dominated the line of scrimmage in Georgia Tech’s 66-24 win over Kansas. The Jackets broke an NCAA record for yards per rushing attempt (12.1), broke an ACC record for rushing yards (604) and smashed a school record for total offense (768). Tech allowed only one sack on the day.

DEFENSIVE LINEMAN – Bjoern Werner, Florida State, DE, So., 6-4, 273, Berlin, Germany

Werner was a pivotal performer from his left end position as the Seminoles held the Sooners to 310 total yards; their lowest output since the 2009 season. A first-year starter, Werner posted a career-high six tackles (5 solos, 1 assist), which included two tackles for loss and a sack of OU quarterback Landry Jones. He was also credited with one quarterback hurry. Werner leads FSU with 3.5 tackles for loss and 2 sacks this season.

LINEBACKER – Luke Kuechly, Boston College, LB, Jr., 6-3, 237, Cincinnati, Ohio

Junior LB Luke Kuechly recorded 23 tackles in Boston College’s 20-19 loss to Duke, marking a career high and tying Stephen Boyd for second on the school’s all-time single-game list. Boyd recorded 23 tackles against Virginia Tech in 1993. The 23 tackles ties for fourth most tackles in a BC game (three players recorded 25). Saturday’s game marked the third game of Kuechly’s career with 20 or more tackles. The Cincinnati, Ohio native previously recorded 21 tackles at Duke (2010) and 20 tackles at NC State (2010). Kuechly now has 399 career tackles. He is positioned to become the fifth Eagle and 32nd player from the ACC to ever record 400 career tackles.

SPECIALIST – Dustin Hopkins, Florida State, K, Jr., 6-2, 190, Houston, Texas

Hopkins extended his streak of consecutive field goal conversions to 13, connecting from 53 and 46 yards against Oklahoma. Hopkins’ 53-yarder was the second-longest of his career. He also helped keep the Sooners bottled off by continuing his kickoff prowess. Hopkins kicked off four times and registered two touchbacks. Oklahoma’s longest return was 18 yards and they never began a series following a kickoff beyond its own 20-yard line. Hopkins is 6-of-6 on field goal attempts this season and has converted all 13 of his PAT attempts. In addition to his streak of 13 consecutive successful field goals, Hopkins has now converted 99 consecutive PATs and is just nine shy of tying the Florida State record held by Derek Schmidt since 1986.

Featured stories, The skinny

Kinston Indians morph into Carolina Mudcats after sad ending

Leave a comment

As the few fans remaining at the end of a twice rain-delayed playoff game were leaving, the only noise came from the Fredrick Keys’ players celebrating the Carolina League championship over the Kinston Indians. But then, after the Keys started leaving the field, and a handful of fans meandered down the breezeway, someone yelled out “Let’s go Mudcats.”

That’s as good a moment as any I suppose to usher in a new beginning after a rather sad ending in Kinston. Next season, the Kinston Indians will be the Carolina Mudcats as the Mudcats move from the Double A Southern League as a Reds organization to the Single A Carolina League as an Indians organization.

Kinston still hopes to get a minor league baseball team to play at historic Grainger Stadium, built in 1949, but considering that its the smallest pro baseball market and that fewer than 1,000 people showed up for the final game, it’s unlikely.

I attended the last pro game at Grainger Stadium and I saw my childhood of watching the Rocky Mount Leafs and the Rocky Mount Phillies flash before my eyes. The two stadiums were similar, the league was the same and the type of fans in attendance were similar – just regular eastern North Carolina folk out to watch what used to be called the national pasttime.

As I sat through a one hour and 10 minute rain delay before the game, I thought about something my uncle once said, “It’ll be a rainy day when they put me in the ground.” I held out hope that Kinston would win the game and finish the series championship the next day. But it was a rainy day when my uncle was buried and it was a rainy day when the Kinston Indians were buried.

The Indians actually led 2-0 after two innings but they should have gotten more. A late signal from Manager Aaron Holbert, coaching third, caused the runner to overrun third base and get picked off the bag to end the second inning. Holbert did have a great season as he was named manager of the year by Baseball America but that wasn’t a shining moment.

The third inning proved disastrous for Kinston as Fredrick got all the runs they would need and all the runs they would get. Fourteen Keys players came to bat in the inning and 11 of them scored as the Indians made three errors and the pitchers gave up three walks and six hits.

A few fans left at that point and many more left in the fourth inning when there was another rain delay – this one for 61 minutes.

The game was never in doubt as the Indians managed only one more run, that in the fifth.

The crowd was so thin by the end there was no final round of applause for the Kinston Indians – the last 25 years Kinston has played as the Indians but before that they also were a Carolina League team for another 25 plus years, most as the Eagles.

The Kinston players, obviously down, dragged themselves to the locker – one or two stopped to sign autographs but there wasn’t really much of a demand.

The Fredrick Keys, an Orioles affiliate, celebrated heartily, hoisting the Hope Mills Cup trophy, in a sort of surreal moment. Celebration would not seem to be the appropriate emotion as a Kinston franchise and a way of life in small-town America died.

Probably about 15 of the Kinston Indians will be Carolina Mudcats next year. Here’s hoping the beginning is better than this ending.

Duke, Featured stories, The skinny

Duke great to speak at Raleigh Sports Club

Leave a comment

Wes Chesson will be the guest speaker of the Raleigh Sports Club this Wednesday, Sept. 21.

One of the all-time great football players in Duke football history, lettering from 1968-70, and has been their football radio analyst for years and is a close observer of ACC Football. Hear him talk about arguably the most famous play in ACC history.

In addition, highly recruited Millbrook football player Keith Marshall will be honored as the Student Athlete of the Week. Marshall, a top academic performer, is a running back who is currently being recruited by many Division 1 NCAA football schools.

Forks Cafeteria will cater a Southern Buffet. The buffet line opens at 11:30 a.m. Meeting location will again be at Highland UMC at 1901 Ridge Road at the intersection of Lake Boone Trail, just inside the Beltline. Weekly attendance fee for members is $14 while others are $20 per person.

Featured stories, Panthers, Redskins, The skinny

The best and worst of Panthers loss and Redskins win

Leave a comment

Carolina Panthers’ QB Cam Newton looked good at first but he faltered and his team fell while Washington Redskins’ QB Rex Grossman looked bad at first but he led the Skins to a TD and field goal in the last five minutes as his team won.

Newton threw for more than 400 yards again but he threw three crucial interceptions in a 30-23 loss to Green Bay. Grossman threw interceptions on the Redskins first two possessions, including one inside the opponents’ five-yard-line, but came back with a touchdown strike to Santana Moss on fourth and three and led the team down the field in the last couple of minutes for a winning field goal as the Skins beat the Cardinals 22-21.

Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post gave his best and worst of the Redskins game while Joseph Person of the Raleigh News & Observer graded out the Panthers game.

Featured stories, Panthers, Redskins, The skinny

Predictions: Packers to pick apart Panthers while Skins handle Cardinals

Leave a comment

It’s kind of a shame that the Panthers couldn’t build on last week’s offensive explosion with an easier opponent this week. The Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers come to town and are just too good for the Panthers, with or without Cam Newton. The Pack handles the Panthers 38-17.

Meanwhile the Redskins looked solid against the Giants last week and they face the Panthers’ Week 1 opponent in Arizona. The Skins are excited about their start to the season and they should be able to build on the momentum by a score of 27-16.

Last week, I started the season at 2-0 with a win by the Redskins and a loss by the Panthers.

Duke, Featured stories, N.C. State, The skinny, UNC

Duke picks up first win at BC while State, UNC roll

Leave a comment

Duke held on at Boston College to beat the Eagle 20-19 while State took care of South Alabama 35-13 behind the passing of Mike Glennon and UNC disposed of long-time rival Virginia 28-17. For information on the UNC victory, please click here. For information on the N.C. State win, please click here. And for info on the Duke squeaker, please click here. For a complete ACC scoreboard with boxscores and recaps please click here.

Featured stories, The skinny

It’s already Week 5 of high school football, predictions below

Leave a comment

Hard to believe it’s already week 5 of the high school football season. It will be chilly with a chance of showers but it’s good football weather so try to get out to one of these 10 football games being played tonight that are within driving distance in the Triangle area. Most games are at 7:30 p.m. You might want to check with local officials as some games start at 7. In bold below are the predicted winners. Last week my record was 8-2 for a 29-11 season mark.

Apex at Panther Creek

Fuquay-Varina at Cary

Harnett Central at Southeast Raleigh

Durham Hillside at Southern Durham

Jordan at East Chapel Hill

Knightdale at East Wake

Leesville Road at Enloe

Lumberton at Athens Drive

Millbrook at Broughton

Sanderson at Wakefield

Featured stories, The skinny, UNC

UNC at home to Virginia – will there be 10,000 empty seats again?

Leave a comment

North Carolina is 2-0 to start the season and plays its first ACC game of the year at home Saturday against old rival Virginia. But are Tar Heel fans into the season? There were 10,000 or so empty seats last week against Rutgers and while the Heels won the game, they turned the ball over five times and snuck by when they were heavily favored.

Will the fans return to see the oldest rivalry in the South this weekend?

“I’ll really be honest with you. I don’t really look at the seats on game day,” said UNC coach Everett Withers. “I look at the opponent, look at our offense and defense.”

Withers did say he wants the fans at the games and the players are playing hard. “If they’ll come watch us play, they’ll be excited to watch us play,” he said. “We want them to come out and watch the games and be excited. All we can do is put a good product on the field, exciting product on the field, and hopefully we’ll get fans in those seats.”

If not, it could dissuade recruits from coming to Carolina. Withers disagrees. “I don’t think it becomes an issue with recruits because you got to understand, this place sells itself. If you want to come to school, get a great education, play in this beautiful stadium, play in a great conference like the ACC, play great opponents each week, I don’t think it becomes a problem.”

Turnovers are a problem right now for the team and if the Heels turn it over five times this week, they won’t beat Virginia.

Withers said he doesn’t think the Rutgers win would have been close if not for the turnovers. “We stopped ourselves I think more than Rutgers stopped us,” he said. “That’s one of the points that we’ve gone through this week is it’s about us taking
care of our business.”

Featured stories, Panthers, The skinny

Newton doesn’t win but he may have won over some critics

Leave a comment

Ok his team didn’t win but Cam Newton certainly made his mark in Fantasy Football leagues with accounting for three touchdowns and throwing for more than 400 yards in his debut Sunday in a 28-21 loss at Arizona.

Newton is quickly making believers of some skeptics. The Carolina Panthers opener was probably one of the two or three most exciting games of the day Sunday. That couldn’t have been said of any week last season.

But being exciting and entertaining won’t in and of itself lead to victories. I, for one, rather have a solid ball control team that goes 9-7 than an exciting and entertaining team that goes 7-9. Maybe I’m old school.

Newton, who set a rookie quarterback mark, certainly looked better than in the preseason when he hit on only 40 percent of his passes. In the first regular season game he was an amazing 24 of 37 for 422 yards. Yes, receivers were getting open but he still had to deliver it, and he did.

“He was everything everybody didn’t expect him to be,” said receiver Steve Smith, who caught eight passes, two of which went for touchdowns. “He was on point, he made some great runs, he made some great reads, made some fantastic throws. He made some throws out there that honestly as a receiver it made it easy to catch them.”

Before the NFL draft, Pro Football Weekly pointed out Newton’s negatives:

“Played in a simplified, run-first, dive-option read offense with very basic high-low reads. Worked exclusively out of the gun and was very quick to run at the first flash of coverage. Limited field vision — does not process the passing game. Inconsistent throwing mechanics with a flick delivery — generates all of his power from his upper-body strength and too often arms the ball. Streaky passer with spotty accuracy. Makes his receivers work hard and throws into coverage. Does not spin a tight spiral. Very disingenuous — has a fake smile, comes off as very scripted and has a selfish, me-first makeup. Always knows where the cameras are and plays to them. Has an enormous ego with a sense of entitlement that continually invites trouble and makes him believe he is above the law — does not command respect from teammates and always will struggle to win a locker room. Only a one-year producer. Lacks accountability, focus and trustworthiness — is not punctual, seeks shortcuts and sets a bad example. Immature and has had issues with authority. Not dependable.”

Despite his personal success Sunday, whether it will continue and whether it will translate into victories is still in question.

Duke, Featured stories, The skinny

Hip still bother’s Shavlik Randolph but he keeps playing

Leave a comment

Raleigh native Shavlik Randolph has had a rocky basketball career but he did go to Duke and he has made good money in the NBA. His Blue Devil career was limited by a hip injury and mononucleosis and as a result Sports Illustrated writer Seth Davis named Randolph the biggest college basketball recruiting bust of the decade for the 2000s.

Ben Golliver of cbssports.com has written an interesting piece on Randolph. He starts the article like this:

“Professional basketball players on the fringes of the NBA, those without the certainty of a guaranteed multi-year contracts and forced to compete over and over with others to land a coveted roster spot, understand that control gets cede sooner or later, that relentlessly chasing opportunity wherever it may be is the only way to make a living.

“For Shavlik Randolph, a former McDonald’s All-American who battled injury and illness while at Duke, sticking in the NBA has been a whirlwind process, one that began when he wasn’t selected in the 2005 NBA Draft but wound up catching on with the Philadelphia 76ers. The last five years have been a blur of spot minutes, 10-day contracts, try-outs and workouts, but his whirlwind has never spun faster or with more force than the last 12 months. In a year that he won’t soon forget, Randolph found himself in the eye of the Miami Heat’s hype hurricane, in a skier’s paradise rehabilitating alongside a No. 1 overall draft pick, and finally in the Caribbean tropics, where he had a courtside view of one of the most tragic events in basketball in 2011.”

To read more, please click here.